Overview
Fuel prices have recently increased yesterday on 3rd June 2022 by an amount of 30 rupees posing burden on low class people. Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan recently castigated current government for bowing down in front of International Monitory Fund (IMF). This is just done in order to revive the stalled IMF programme, according to recent news update.
Description
The rise in fuel prices and power tariffs as a result of the removal of subsidies introduced by the PTI government is one of the primary requirements that the current coalition government needs to meet in order to resume the $6 billion IMF programme, which has been on hold since April. This requirement is one of the main prerequisites for the resumption of the programme.
Former Prime Minister Imran criticized the current government today while delivering a speech in front of a large audience in Buner for “caving in to the pressure of the IMF.” He stated that the current rulers of the country had chosen to ignore the plight of their subjects because they, their families, and their riches were all located outside of the country.
He stated that the government had raised the price of gasoline by an astounding Rs60, a move that would ultimately be “bone-breaking” for those in the paid class.
The chairman of the PTI made the assertion that his government had been subjected to pressure from the IMF to raise prices. “However, we did not cave in and instead managed monies coming from a variety of sources in order to offer the people with financial comfort.”
He asserted that the current government will carry out its duties in accordance with the “orders” it received from overseas, reaffirming his belief that the current administration came to power as a result of an international plot.
Imran continued by saying that he had informed the neutrals of the economic tailspin that would occur in the event that the foreign conspiracy against his government was successful. “While it is beneficial to maintain neutrality, protecting the sovereignty of the country is of equal importance.”
The word “neutral” is a reference to the military, which has often stated that it is impartial despite the fact that the country has been going through a period of political instability since since the vote of no-confidence was filed against Imran on March 8.
When the plot was being devised, he said he had also contacted Shaukat Tarin, who had served as finance minister before him, and requested him to inform the neutral parties about the imminent economic slump. “We are only able to protect the country when it is in a strong position.”
He used the example of the Soviet Union once more, noting that it fell apart once its economy began to decline, and he explained why this happened.
Imran predicted that another “electricity pricing bomb” would go off in the days ahead as well. He stated that his administration had hiked the rate by Rs. 6 per unit throughout the course of its three-and-a-half year term, whereas the present administration had increased costs by Rs. 10 per unit in just two months.
In continuation of his comparison, he stated that a bag of wheat weighing 20 kilogrammes cost Rs326 when the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was in power, but that price has risen to Rs422 in the two months since the ruling coalition took office.
“In a same vein, a bag of basmati rice weighing one kilogramme used to cost Rs40, but it is currently priced at Rs55. Ghee used to cost Rs201 per kilogramme, but ever since the new government entered office, the price has more than doubled.”
He also voiced concern on the country’s diminishing foreign exchange reserves, stating that they had reached $9.6 billion, which is the same amount as when the PTI was elected in 2018.
“The credit rating agency Moody’s has once again downgraded Pakistan’s economic prognosis to negative,” the former prime minister stated. “This is despite the fact that Pakistan’s economic outlook had improved during our tenure.”
Shehbaz urges the upper classes and those with privilege to make sacrifices.
In the meantime, the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued a plea to the privileged classes to make sacrifices and to adopt a simpler lifestyle, stating that everyone would be required to contribute sacrifices during these trying times.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif mentioned the decision of the government to raise the price of gasoline by an additional Rs30 while he was speaking at a ceremony in Gwadar.
It was his contention that the previous government, which had been led by the PTI, had failed to alleviate the plight of the people during its term by lowering the prices of necessities such as wheat and pulses. Instead, he said, the government waited until it became clear that the motion of no confidence would be successful before deciding to lower oil and gasoline prices.
They dropped the pricing while simultaneously weaving a web to catch us in it.
According to what he claimed, up until the previous week, we did everything in our power to keep from placing this additional load on the people. He questioned how it was conceivable for the government to offer a subsidy on petroleum goods when the country was dependent on loans for its economic stability.
He stated, “We tried our best to stop it, but we were forced to impose this additional cost since we had no other option.”
He stated that the administration was aware of the challenges that the people were going through. According to what he said, the government and the presidents of its associated parties are in agreement on the position that it is equivalent to being unjust to place further burdens on the general populace.
He repeated, “But we were forced to increase prices,” adding that he had summoned a meeting for the following day. “But we were forced to increase prices.”
The wealthy classes, according to the Prime Minister Shehbaz, have the responsibility to move up, make sacrifices, and adopt a more simple lifestyle. He promised to see to it that those who were favoured monetarily would not throw their wealth away by throwing it at the feet of those who were less fortunate.
“Tomorrow I will lead a meeting […] this starts with me, ministers, advisers, federal and provincial secretaries, government officers, and politicians: Everyone will be required to perform their duty and adopt simplicity while bearing severe steps.”
He stated that members of the privileged classes, the government, the prime minister and his ministers, chief ministers, governors, and officers would all be required to accept these “lawful but severe” procedures.
“If all of us wake up early and stay up late working together, if we reduce our lifestyles to its most basic forms, and if we are willing to make sacrifices, then there will come a moment when we will be able to prevail over these obstacles and lead this nation toward growth and prosperity. That is how I see things.”
